Top O' The World

 (And Goin’ Downhill Fast)

 We entered Pickwick Lake at our highest elevation (414 feet) since Lake Michigan.  And it certainly felt Like the top of the world.   Except for the homes on shoreline hills, there is nothing higher in view and the water looks wide open after weeks on the rivers.  (Although the architects can’t seem to decide if they are in Tennessee, or Tahoe or Tuscany.  Sheesh.)

But  looks can indeed be deceiving.   The lake is shallow and close attention must be paid to the depth sounder and the navigation aids.  (And the air is scented with the aroma of a nearby paper mill.  Heavy sigh.)  A south-easterly course will continue down the course  of the Tennessee River toward Chattanooga and points further east.  But a quick  turn to starboard (our choice) heads east toward the beginning of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, our eventual  route the Gulf od Mexico. 

Our stop here was at the Grand Harbor Resort and Marina.  A beautiful facility with a large marina (including 90’ lake houseboats!) and condo development, it also proved to be a bit deceiving.  The staff was limited, there was no onsite restaurant and the shore-side amenities reserved for condo owners.  Still, it had a steady flow of Loopers and our three days there included many reunions with friends.    

The highlight of this stop was a visit to the Shiloh National Military Park near Corinth, TN,  with Water Witch friends Jeff and Laurie   

The scene of three days of back-and-forth Civil War carnage, it now contains extensive historical displays, military monuments, and a National Cemetery the at is the final resting place for hundreds of veterans.  The battle here in April 1861 marked the ascendency of Ulysses S Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman as Union military leaders and the point at which the Union took the upper  hand over Confederate forces in what was then the West.  Casualties on both sides were staggering.  From here, Sherman began his March to the Sea.  And Grant was recalled east  to assume command of all Union forces.  The Museum and Visitor Center are first rate.  The battlefield is so extensive, and so exhaustively mapped and marked by the Park Service, one could spend several days  to cover it all (just as the soldiers did during the back-and-forth fighting).   Interestingly, there is little mention of the reason for the fighting.  Apparently the Park Service walks a fine line between commemorating a Union victory and appeasing the locals. 

Shiloh Chapel

Departing Grand Harbor, we headed south into the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (aka: “The Tenn-Tom” or “The Ditch”).  This 444-mile made-made waterway roughly follows the course of the Tombigbee River (aka: “the most important river in America you have never heard of”) and provides a navigation channel from the Gulf of Mexico to the Ohio River that bypasses the problematic Mississippi.    Construction began in 1972 and involved the movement of more dirt and rock than either the Suez or Panama Canal.   The last phase of the project was completed in 1985.  Without it, the Great Loop as we know it would not exist (as the lower Mississippi is not particularly boater friendly. ) Along the Tenn-Tom, we passed thru eight locks, spent four nights at anchor, made four stops in marinas, and spent time in three states (TN, MS, and AL).  

At Midway Marina in Fulton, MS, we encountered  the absolute worst “courtesy” car on the entire Loop.  An extended-cab Ford F-150 with the back doors welded shut and a bed filled with a week’s worth of marina garbage.  Plus, an interior so toxic it nearly required Haz-Mat gear.  YUCK!

Midway Marina on the Tenn-Tom

At Columbus, MS we met an absolutely wonderful veterinary clinic that treated Admiral Maggie for a urinary tract infection .  The took us in on 2-hour notice and treated her like a queen.  A full health check, some lab work and an Rx for antibiotics and she is good as new.   

Veterinary ANGELS!

At a  dark, spooky  anchorage at McKinley Creek where we serenaded the wildlife with CCR’s “Born on the Bayou”.  And were in-turn serenaded by low passes from Air Force pilots-in-training from nearby Columbus AFB.

Anchored up the Bayou with CCR

White cliffs of Alabama

Middle of nowhere on the lower Tenn-Tom 

While Mobile on the Gulf of Mexico was our  ultimate destination on our river voyage, the first objective for us and many other Loopers was to reach the magical city of Demopolis, AL by the end of October.  Magical because it A) offers a good marina and B) lies just above 32 degrees north latitude, a line our insurance carriers require we remain north of until November 1st (the “official” end of hurricane season).    The marina was chock full of Loopers and even offered a potluck Halloween party.   But on the morning of the 1st, Look Out!  There was a near tidal wave of 16 Loopers exiting and heading downstream through the fog to the Demopolis Lock.   

Below Demopolis, we entered some of the most isolated waters on the Great Loop.   And the further south  we went, the spookier and swampier the terrain became. We’re takin’ banjo music country.    Our one marina (using the term broadly) was at a place called Bobby’s Fish Camp (yes, really).   A tired metal dock against a riverbank dotted with trailers and hunting  shacks, it was like moored inside an episode of Duck Dynasty ( minus the wealth).   

Bobby's Fish Camp

A Looper mainstay, however, as it is the only source of diesel fuel and shore power in the 216-mile trip from  Demopolis to Mobile.  With its famous restaurant permanently closed and its store reduced to “ice, beer and Coke”, we only stopped because of its Looper reputation.  But except for easy shore access for Admiral Maggie  and the social interaction with other Loopers, there was nothing to recommend it.

Fellow Loopers at our final anchorage

Sunset at Tensaw River anchorage

Good advice in gator country

On our last two days before Mobile, we began to spot gators (10+ footers!)sunning on the shore.  Our final  anchorage at Tensaw River, we were extra cautious in our shore visits for Admiral Maggie, carrying a boat hook, keeping her leashed, and keeping the outboard running.  In reality, the weather was cool,  and it is not breeding season, keeping the reptiles mostly in active.  But it is a bit disconcerting being “in the food chain”, so to speak.   Sheesh .

Tankers in Mobile Harbor

Back to salt water @ Mobile!

Passing thru Mobile put  us back in real civilization for the first time since Lake Michigan.  It is a busy commercial harbor with oil terminals and shipyards on both banks.   And exiting the river into Mobile Bay found us back at sea level and salt water.   An escort of dolphins welcomed us to the Gulf of Mexico!  

Mobile Bay welcoming committee

And, boy, are we glad to be done with rivers and locks  Whew!

Thanks for following our journey

Be sure to track us on NEBO